Not a Burden
by Silver Wizardess
Summary: Just a little fluff piece featuring an exhausted and moody Petra, shirtless Levi, and a grumpy baby. Oneshot. Rating high for Levi's filthy mouth at the end.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan or the following song lyrics.

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**Not a Burden**

Petra drew in a sharp breath, her bloodshot eyes snapping open. The images of the nightmare she had been having were still fresh in her mind. Images of bodies strewn everywhere and blood flowing through the streets like a foaming river. So much blood... The sound she had heard in her dream still drifted to her ears. She took another quick breath.

_The baby!_

She quickly glanced at her husband. To her relief, he was still asleep. As carefully and quietly as she could, she sat up and got out of bed. She tiptoed across the floorboards, making sure to avoid the ones that creaked under pressure. She made it to the door and slipped out into the hallway. The sound of a tiny muffled cry egged her onward.

She reached the room at the end of the hallway and opened the door. She saw the little bundle as it squirmed within the blankets that swaddled it. She breathed a sigh of relief.

_She's still there... still alive..._

She carefully picked up the infant and cradled her against her shoulder, the nightmare finally fading as she held her precious child in her arms. She began to sway side to side, rubbing the little one's back comfortingly. She found herself murmuring the soft tune of a lullaby. She smiled with nostalgia, remembering that she had also sung to her baby long before she ever laid eyes on her.

"_Hush little Isabel, don't say a word. Mama's gonna find you a mocking bird. If the mocking bird won't sing, mama's going find you golden ring_..."

The father had chosen that name for her. He never explained why, but Petra was happy enough that he had wanted a part in naming their child. Besides, she thought Isabel was a lovely name.

After a few moments of singing, the cries faded away to be replaced by frustrated gurgles. She held Isabel away from her shoulder and the look on her face made her giggle. In the moonlight coming from the window, she could see that the baby's face was twisted into a stern look of irritation. Steely bluish gray eyes were narrowed and demanded attention. This was definitely Levi Ackerman's child.

She went and sat in the rocking chair beside the crib and pulled down the collar of her nightdress, readying to feed the obviously starving child. Angry cooing was replaced by satisfied suckling noises. She watched Isabel for a while, but Petra's eyes grew heavier and heavier. Since Isabel had been born a week ago, every night had been like this. She could probably count on both hands how many hours of sleep she had been able to get in that time frame. Besides caring for a newborn, she still had a home to keep up. She had also been plagued with nightmares similar to the one she had been having moments before. To say she was exhausted would be an understatement. She did her best to hide that fact from Levi.

Pondering these things, Petra soon fell asleep while she still held the suckling baby in her arms.

-x-

Levi knew that Petra had gotten out of bed and left the room. He had heard the baby crying, heard his wife softly singing, then silence. He waited, but when she didn't return to bed, he went to check on her. He opened the door to the nursery and found Petra sound asleep, loosely cradling Isabel to her exposed breast. Isabel was also asleep, sucking on her fingers now rather than Petra's bosom.

Not wanting Petra to accidentally drop the infant in her sleep, Levi gently took Isabel from her arms. With his other hand, he replaced Petra's nightdress. She stirred and he quickly pulled back his hand, but she didn't wake up. However, the bundle began to squirm in his arms. He looked down, adjusting his hold to try and make his arms more comfortable, but the little one's eyes opened and met their father's.

The two stared at one another, neither completely acquainted with the other yet. He remembered the first time that he had held her. Her face had been so red and wrinkled and her hair still damp, he had questioned that it was even human. Then the eyes opened... They were so big and dark. It felt like she had looked into his very soul. He had never felt that way about anyone, not even Petra. It scared him if he thought too deeply about it. Few things scared Levi and he was honestly surprised that a tiny baby held that kind of power over him.

Isabel began to grunt and coo uncomfortably, pulling Levi from his thoughts. He glanced at Petra, making sure that she hadn't been disturbed. Her form was still prone in the rocking chair, so he slipped out of the nursery with the baby in his arms. He shut the door quietly and continued down the hallway until he reached the main living area. Embers were still glowing in the fireplace, but it was just enough to easily see and light a candle. He set the candle on the dining table and sat in a chair. By the light of the candle, he could more clearly see the little face framed by a full head of ginger hair. She continued to grunt and whimper, tiny hands balled into fists.

To be honest, Levi didn't know much about babies. He never imagined that he would ever have one. Hell, he never expected to find someone to marry either, yet here he was, married to Petra, owning his own home, and now he had a daughter to look after. To the average person, they would say that he had it made in life, but Levi was far from average. All these changes were definitely going to take some getting used to. It wasn't that he was upset with the path his life had led him down at this point, it just hadn't been what he had expected.

He held the infant in his arms, staring intently into Isabel's face. Petra had said that babies liked eye contact. However, the baby's features twisted into a scowl and she began to cry softly.

"No, no, don't do that," Levi muttered, rocking his upper body side to side to try and appease the baby.

Isabel wasn't satisfied and continued to cry. He frowned, wondering what else he was supposed to do. She was only a week old, so her lungs hadn't reached their full strength yet. Her cries weren't as loud as he expected to begin with, but he figured that would change in the next few weeks.

He shifted her to rest her head against his shoulder. He knew that Petra had been feeding her and realized that she probably fell asleep before she could burp her. He gingerly patted her back, not sure how much strength was needed. He didn't want to hurt her. The fussing continued with no results, so he tried a little harder. How difficult was it to make a baby burp?

Levi tried and tried, patting and rubbing her back with varying degrees of strength and vigor, until he finally heard a gurgling sound that was different from the other sounds she had been making. To his relief, the crying stopped instantly. However, he noticed a warm sensation running down his back that was gradually becoming cold. He grimaced, knowing what it was, and held the baby away from his shoulder. A whitish liquid was dribbling down Isabel's chin, her face exuding relief from the pressure that had been building up in her tiny stomach. He carefully rested her on his lap so that he could pull off his nightshirt. Since the shirt was already soiled, he used it to wipe her face and mouth clean.

He tossed the spit-up covered garment into a laundry basket and took the baby back up into his arms, cradling her against his bare chest. She was staring at him once more. He stared back, more than a little irritated with her.

"You're welcome, brat," he grumbled. "Now go to sleep."

Isabel blinked, but she didn't comply. She started making awkward smiley faces at him and squirming in her blanket. He sighed, rocking his body once again to try and lull her into sleep. When she was taken care of, he could help Petra back to bed and they could all get some rest.

Suddenly, Levi remembered something. It was faded and buried far away in his memory, but trying to get his newborn daughter to sleep had resurfaced it. He hummed a few lines, making sure that he had the tune right. When he was certain, he slowly began to sing, his deep voice reverberating softly.

"_Stay awake, don't rest your head. Don't lie down upon your bed. While the moon drifts in the skies, stay awake, don't close your eyes_."

Isabel stopped making faces and wriggling and watched him curiously as he sang. He allowed himself a small smirk, happy that something he was doing was having a positive effect. He continued the lullaby.

"_Though the world is fast asleep, though your pillow is soft and deep, you're not sleepy as you seem. Stay awake, don't nod and dream_. _Stay awake, stay awake, don't nod and dream_..."

Her eyes began to flutter as she fell under the spell of his voice. They slowly closed as the lullaby came to an end.

He went through the whole song once more for good measure. He sighed when he finished, relieved that Isabel was staying asleep. He dared not move just yet, afraid that any motion would wake her again.

-x-

Petra had awoken with a start, realizing where she was and that her baby was gone. She shot to her feet and frantically searched the room. The baby was nowhere to be found. What happened? Did she sleepwalk and leave Isabel somewhere else in the house? At this rate, it wouldn't surprise her. She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, but something caused her to stop. She heard someone singing. Was that... her husband?

_Is Levi singing? _

She cautiously tiptoed down the hallway, listening. That was definitely Levi's voice. She was amazed, having never heard him sing before. Nearing the doorway to the living area, she could see a shirtless Levi sitting by the table, Isabel nestled securely in his arms. He wore a calm expression as he sang the gentle lullaby.

The sight alone was enough to melt her heart. Petra brought a hand to her mouth to keep herself from making a noise and breaking the mood, tears welling in her eyes. She let the sound of his usually harsh voice, now smooth and soothing, wash over her. She found herself being jealous of her little one. Levi had never sung for _her_. She determined to change that after tonight.

All too soon, he stopped singing and sighed. The infant in his arms was sound asleep. He sat very still and watched the baby, almost fearfully. She snorted as she inhaled with a combination of emotion, amusement, and having held her breath while spying on her husband. He raised his head to peer into the darkness of the hallway.

"Petra?" he hissed quietly. "How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough," she replied just as quietly. In the candlelight, she thought she caught a glimpse of a pink tint on his cheeks. She giggled as she stepped into the room and came near him. "Since when do you sing?"

He didn't respond, averting his eyes from hers. It was cute seeing him act bashful.

"Why haven't you sang for _me _before?" she asked with a pout, sitting in the other chair at the table.

"Singing isn't manly," he answered flatly.

"Yes it is," she scoffed. "Do you know how many male singers there are?"

He grunted in response, not really wanting to argue the topic. She didn't really want to argue either.

"I've never heard that lullaby before," she whispered. "How do you know it?"

"My... mother," he said, almost inaudibly.

"Oh..." She stopped, knowing that was a touchy subject. He didn't like to talk about his childhood or his past in general. She respected that and didn't push the topic. The two of them sat in silence for a while until she spoke again.

"Levi...?"

"Hm," he grunted.

"Don't you have to go to work tomorrow?" she asked, concerned that he had to get up early.

"No," he answered bluntly. She looked at him, confused.

"Why not?"

"It's my day off."

"Oh..."

"And I took a leave of absence for the next couple of weeks."

"W-what?!" she exclaimed then covered her mouth, forgetting that there was a slumbering newborn in his arms. Levi glared at her in exasperation, praying that her outburst didn't rouse Isabel. The child didn't stir, so Petra continued more quietly, "Why would you take that much time off? Doesn't the Corps need you?"

"I've decided that you need me more right now." His statement caused her to blush out of flattery, embarrassment and shame. She didn't want him to feel like he had to do that for her. He was known as 'humanity's strongest' and he was a crucial member of the Survey Corps. The last thing he needed to be worrying about was his little wife and baby at home.

"Y-you don't have to do that," she protested, trying to sound confident. "I'll be fine."

"Petra, you passed out feeding the baby," he said sternly. "You could've dropped her."

She let her gaze fall to her clenched hands in her lap. She knew he was right. She could have seriously hurt Isabel. Tears stung her eyes as she avoided his gaze.

"I just... I don't want to be a burden to you," she rasped, trying not to break down and cry. She wasn't usually like this. She was stronger than this. She could blame her hormones, but felt like that was merely an excuse. She stood and reached for the baby. "Here, let me at least put Isabel back in her crib."

He turned the bundle away from her and gave her a stern glare.

"No, _I'll_ do it. _You_ go to bed," he said, very slowly getting to his feet and walking past her. "That's an order."

She hissed after him, but he was already halfway down the hall. She blinked furiously, allowing the tears to roll down her cheeks. It angered her when he ordered her around like a soldier when they were in their own home. She supposed that it was a sort of coping mechanism when he was frustrated, but it still hurt and didn't help matters in her eyes.

Tired and angry, she headed back to the bedroom. She threw herself onto the bed, burying her face into a pillow, and screamed. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen. She loved him too much as a husband and her captain to allow him to feel like he had to stay home and care for her. She felt humiliated for failing at being a wife and mother to the point that Levi felt he had to take over. She might as well just leave, never to bother him again. Perhaps he would be better off without her...

As Petra made half-baked plans to run away and live outside the Walls, Levi came into the room and shut the door. He stood by her side of the bed, still glaring at her. She feebly tried to return the gesture, but crumbled under his stormy gaze and ended up crying instead. She hid her face in the pillow once more, not wanting him to see her tears.

"Petra..." he sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. He waited for her sobbing to subside before continuing, "You have never been a burden to me. You especially aren't one now. I love you. Stop being a dumb shit in trying to do everything yourself and let me help you. If I'm not mistaken, marriage is about teamwork."

She sniffled and slowly brought her soggy eyes back up to meet his cool ones. They were stern, but at the same time, she could see caring reflected in them. She knew he was right. In the Corps, he was her superior, but at home, she was his equal.

"O-okay..." she hiccuped. "I love you too and I'm sorry..."

"You've got nothing to apologize for," he said and affectionately mussed up her already frazzled hair. "Now, let's go back to sleep. I'm fucking tired."

She smiled as he got into bed, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. She rolled over to face him and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against his toned chest. That reminded her...

"...Levi?"

"Hm."

"What happened to your shirt?"

"..."

"Levi?"

"...please tell me that we're doing laundry tomorrow."


End file.
